Molded carton for fragile articles



1951 w. H. RANDALL MOLDED CARTON FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Dec. 24, 1947 INVENTOR. WALTER H. RANDALL,

A ORNET.

Patented Dec. 18, 1951 l MOLDED CARTON FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Walter H. Randall, Waterville, Maine, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Canal National Bank of Portland, Portland, Maine, and William B. Nutley, Portland, Maine, as trustees Application December 24, 1947, Serial No. 793,681

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cartons for packaging fragile articles, and particularly to a carton made of molded pulp for packaging eggs. Such cartons are generally used in grocery stores as take-home packages for eg s bought by the dozen, but may also be used for the shipment and storage of eg s.

These cartons usually consist of a pair of coextensive tray-like sections of the required size and depth which are hinged together along their adjacent longitudinal edges so as to overfold upon one another and provide a closed pack.

One section is an egg-holding section and is provided with molded formations providing individual pockets for holding the required number of eggs. I

The other section is a cover'section which is usually devoid of pocket-defining formations so as to present a smooth, fiat uninterrupted top surface well suited to receive printing. Due to the absence of pocket-defining formations, however, this cover section is neither as rigid nor as strong as the egg-holding section which contains such formations, and accordingly one important object of my invention is to provide a molded pulp carton the cover section of which will not only present a flat, smooth surface that is well adapted to receive printing but which section will also possess the required stiffness and rigidity to prevent it from collapsing or distorting when the closed carton is subjected to downward pressure, as where the closed cartons are stacked in superimposed layers.

One efiect of such downward collapsing pressure on a closed carton is to cause the cover section to slide laterally outwardly relative to the egg-holding section, thereby bringing its free edge, i. e., the edge which is distant from the edge that is hingedly connected to the egg-holding or base section, out of line with the corresponding free edge of the egg-holding section, and accordingly another important object of my invention is to provide the carton with an interlock which effectively resists this tendency of the sections to slide laterally relative to one another when the closed carton is subjected to downward collapsing pressure.

Other objects and advantages will appear as this description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my inven- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a molded pulp egg carton in accordance with my invention, the car n being open, d

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of Fig. 1 as seen when the carton is closed and turned end for end from the position shown in Fig. 1.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated my carton is designed to carry one dozen'eggs in two spaced parallel rows of six eggs each. In constructing such a carton, I prefer to proceed as follows:

I mold an integral sheet of pulp contoured to provide a. pair of tray-like sections l0 and II of the required size and depth. Sections l0 and II are coextensive with each other at their adjacent longitudinal edges and are hingedly connected along adjacent longitudinal flanged portions at the longitudinal center line of the sheet as indicated at l2 so that when overfolded upon one another they provide a closed pack. Each section consists of a bottom wall and angularly extending side and end walls continuously enclosing the same, said side and end walls terminating in peripheral flanges in the plane of the sheet, which flanges constitute meeting surfaces for the cover and base sections when the cover section is overfolded upon the base section.

The section II] of my novel carton is an eggholding or base section and, when designed to carry one dozen eggs in two rows of six eggs each, is formed with a central row of spaced upstanding hollow posts 13 and 14 preferably of frustoconical form, arranged in line from end to-end of section III. As shown, there are five full posts l3 and two half-posts M, the latter being located at the ends of section In and merging with the end walls of said section.

The opposite side wall portions of section I 0 are each formed with a row of spaced inwardly projecting hollow half-posts l5 and I6, preferably also of frusto-conical form. Half posts l5 and it are located opposite the central row of posts and define with said central row and with each other and with the adjacent portions of the side, end and bottom walls of section I!) two spaced rows of closed-bottom pockets H, six pockets .to each row, within which the eggs are supported by wedging contact with the side walls of the full posts I3 and the half-posts I4, l5 and H6.

The bottoms of the egg pockets are preferably cushioned by forming the bottom wall of section Hlwith raised cushioning formations I8 and the pockets are further separated from each other at a suitable distance above their bottoms by a single row of longitudinally extending hollow ribs 19 connecting said centrol row of posts l3 and M to one another and by five rows of transversely extending hollow ribs 20 connecting said half-posts l5 and I6 to said central row of posts and to the side walls of section H). In addition to their function of separating the individual pockets from each other said rows of ribs i9 and 20 also strengthen and stiffen said carton section. The tops of all posts l3, l4 and 5 and the tops of all posts I6, except the posts designated 16a and llib terminate in the same plane, which is the plane of the sheet. The tops of posts 16a and [6b terminate in a plane slightly lower than the plane of the sheet to provide with the adjacent portions of said side wall a pair'of spaced locking recesses.

The other section II of my novel carton is'a generally flat-bottomed cover section and the opposite side wall portions thereof are each provided with a longitudinally extending row of spaced inwardly extending oppositely disposed hollow ribs or stiffening elements 2| and 22. The stiffening elements 21 and 22 are likewise located opposite the half-posts l5 and Id of the egg holding section It so that the top'ends of elements 22 will abut the top ends of the half posts l5 and'the top ends of elements 2| will abut the top ends of half-posts it when the sections are overfolded to close thecarton and provide in effect a plurality of spaced strengthening struts from top to bottom of thecarton.

'Preferably the stiffening elements Hand 22 extend vertically of the side wall portions of cover section II from top to bottom thereof and taper from their baseswhere they merge with the bot tom wall of saidsection'towar'ds the upper edge of said side wall, terminating at their upper ends insubstantially the plane of the sheet.

Theprimary function of the ribs or stiffening elements?! and 22 is to strengthen and stiffen the side walls of the cover section. However, two of-the stiffening elements 2!, here designated Zia and Zlb, in the side wall portion of cover section II which is distant from the fold line of the carton extend beyond the plane of the sheet and areformed at their upper ends to interlockwithin the locking recesses afforded by the flat topsof the pair of slightly lowered half posts Hid and [6b in the distant side wall of egg holding section II] when the carton is closed. Such interlock may be had by forming the upper ends of said stiffening elements Zla and 2Ib as enlarged locking projections 23 and 24 which when the carton is closed cooperate with the innersurface of the outer wall of the base sec- -tion,-whereby when the carton is closed, lateral movement of the outer side wall of the cover section beyond the adjacent outer side wall of the base section is prevented. As shown, the projections 23 and 24 abut the portions of the side wallof the egg-holding section above the flat upper ends of the slightly lowered half-posts 16a and I6?) of said section [0.

Thus, when the closed cartons are stacked in superimposed layers or otherwise subjected to downward pressure which tends to cause the cover section to slide laterally outwardly relative to the egg-holding section, the tendency of the free edge of the cover section to move outwardly out of line with the corresponding edge of the egg-holding section is resisted by the abutment of the projections 23 and 24 with the side wall portions of the egg-holding section adjacent the tops of the lowered posts 18a and lfib. While I have shown two of the stiffening ribs '2l- .and two of the half-posts l6 as formed to cooperate with each'other in preventing lateral.

sliding movement of the cover section relative that I am not to be restricted to any particular number of interlocking formations.

It will be noted that as a result of my construction the cover section is adequately stiffened against collapse while at the same time presenting between the stiffening elements 2! and 22 a continuous, uninterrupted flat surface well adapted to receive printing.

While I have .shown a preferred arrangement of pocket defining formations and a preferred arrangement of cover-stiffening formations in which certain of-the stifiening formations coact with certain of the pocket-defining formations to provide an interlock, I recognize that the disclosed arrangement may be varied considerably and still achieve my advantages.

It will likewise be understood that while I have described my carton as being made of molded-pulp-and adapted to carry one dozen eggs arranged-mtwo spaced parallel rows of six eggseachfsuchdisclosure is by way of illustrationand not limitation. Obviously, my carton may be made of other-materials andmaybe designed to carry larger or smaller numbers of eggs or other fragile articles in any desired 'arrangementof rows, as for: example, to carry one dozen eggs in three rows of four eggs each. Otherequally desirable arrangements for carryinglarger or smaller -quantities of eggs or other fragile articles Willreadily suggest themselvesto those skilled in the'art.

Iclaim:

1. A carton for eggs and the like comprising an integral sheet of molded pulp contoured to provide a-tray-likebase section and a tray-like generally fiat -bottomedcover section each having-side and end'wallscterminating in peripheral a flanges in the plane of the sheet, said flanges constitutingmeeting surfaces for the cover and base sections when the cover section is overfolded 'uponxthe base section, said cover and base sections being'hingedly secured together along adjacentlongitudinal'fianged portions, the side walls of saidcover section being provided with inwardly extending ribs extending from the bottom of the 'cover section to the plane of the sheet, at least one ofthe ribs on the outer side Wall of the'cover extending beyond the plane of the sheet to cooperate with the inner surface of the'outerside wallof thebase section, whereby when the carton is closed, lateral movement of the outerside wall of the cover section beyond the adjacent outer side wall of the base section is prevented.

2. A carton "for eggs and the like comprising an integral sheet of molded pulp contoured to provide a tray-like base section and a tray-like generally flat-bottomed cover section each' havingside and end walls'terminating in peripheral 'fianges in the plane of the sheet, said' 'flanges constituting meeting surfaces for the 5 lateral movement of the outer side wall of the cover section beyond the adjacent outer side wall of the base section is prevented.

3. A carton for holding a group of fragile articles, said, carton comprising an integral sheet of molded pulp contoured to provide a pocketed base section hingedly secured to a flat bottomed tray-like cover section, each section having outwardly extending marginal flanges defining meeting surfaces in a common plane when the sections are folded together at their hinge, the base section having a plurality of partition ribs and posts defining a number of pockets corresponding to the number of articles in said group, the cover section having a plurality of inwardly directed strengthening ribs extending the entire depth of a cover side wall opposite to the hinge, at least one of said strengthening ribs having its end adjacent the flange, shaped to form with the flange an outwardly opening groove in which a portion of the base section flange is interlockingly received to furnish a spread-reducing interlocking engagement between the ribs on the cover side wall and 6 the corresponding side wall of the base section to cause the rigidifying effect of the base partitions and posts to combine with the rigidifying effect of the ribs in preventing the covers being squeezed out over the side of the base section. WALTER H. RANDALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 142,129 Shepard Aug. 1-41, 194:5 931,637 Odell Aug. 17, 1909 2,093,280 Koppelman Sept. 14, 1937 2,100,516 Read Nov. 30, 1937 2,160,893 Newsom June 6, 1939 2,428,384 Randall Oct. '7, 1947 2,455,295 Cox Nov. 30, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 496,007 Great Britain Nov. 23, 1938 

